The present invention relates generally to the art of gas pressure driven fluid pumps. More particularly, the invention relates to such a pump which includes an electronic cycle counter.
Condensate removal systems in steam piping arrangements often utilize gas pressure driven pumps. In general, these types of pumps operate on a positive displacement principle to pump liquid. Rather than reciprocating a piston in a chamber, however, the pressurized gas is introduced into the pump housing so as to displace the liquid.
Attempts have been made to count the cycles of gas-pressure driven pumps. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,517,008 to Francart, Jr. describes a mechanical cycle counter for such a pump. The counter has a piston that moves as pressure rises within the pump tank. The upper end of the piston moves a counter oscillation arm, which thereby increments the counter. While this design generally works well, the mechanical nature of the design requires complex moving parts and is difficult to monitor from a remote location.